4382 Terroir 2020 Durif

Yes the label is coming and won’t be quite this rustic! Another excellent wine from the exciting collaboration between Andy Williams and Rob Davidson of St Judes Cellar Door & Bistro at Ballandean. The idea of 4382 Terroir is that all the wine will be made in Ballandean and from fruit grown in Ballandean. However, until vines planted by Rob in the Rees Road Vineyard are producing fruit at wine crop levels the fruit is sourced from The Riverlands which is a warm climate region in South Australia.

This wine contains a small percentage of Black Muscat (I think 10%), I’m unsure where that fruit is sourced, perhaps Riverlands as well?

A quite deeply coloured wine in the glass and no colour fade at the meniscus, it exhibits the lovely reflective brightness of the young juice.

Rich dark plum fruit propels itself in lifted almost floral redolent wafts that carry some quite ripe strawberries, a definite presence of blueberries with pepper in the background. There is somewhat of a contradiction in the bouquet which has some genuine weight but also displays some light floral aspects – this must be the blown kiss of the black muscat.

A long quite luscious palate swirls and slides in a driven line carrying those weighted dark red plums and ever so lightly compoted blueberries, there is some red watermelon flesh, a little sprinkle of black pepper with cloves, oak is a background support to fruit expression. The acid is young and fresh enough to provide very good length but with more of a massaging gentleness, very fine powdery tannins coat the top of your tongue and remind you that, although more considerate than many, you are nevertheless drinking a Durif.

The addition of the Black Muscat in this wine is a unique experience for myself and it’s a hit! So congrats to Andy and Rob for a Durif style that can be consumed now but with enough structure and balance to last a decade.

Tasted: Saturday 24th July, 2021 without food and then with over several hours.
Alcohol: 14%
Closure: Screwcap
Price: $45
Suggested Drinking Window: Now to 2032
Wine Maker: Andy Williams in collaboration with Rob Davidson
Fruit Source: Durif – The Riverland, South Australia. Black Muscat – ??
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